Tuesday, October 29, 2013

This is the twelfth article in the semi-comedic series, How Not To Write A Novel (HOWNTWAN). The first article in the series can be found here: What's Your Story About? Keep reading during the next couple months for the rest of the series.

12. What About The Protagonist?

Seriously, Paul, now you’re starting to get all heavy on me. What the heck is a protagonist?

Previously, we’ve spent time talking about the book and its style, etc., and now it’s time to talk a little about the characters. The protagonist is the main character or hero. There may be more than one of them. It’s important to spend a while thinking about your protagonist before you start writing your book. What kind of a person are they? What’s their character like? How do they react in certain situations? What’s their Kryptonite? All these are important things to work out before writing your book.

Sorry? Kryptonite? Yeah, it’s from Superman. It’s the thing that makes Superman powerless. Every good hero needs to have a weakness. Maybe you decide your protagonist can’t swim and hates the water. You state that at the beginning of the book somewhere. And then to save the girl, he has to rescue her from the river. Good drama and tension.

Anyway, I’m probably telling you things you don’t want to hear. I mean, it’s only a book and everybody knows the hero of their book is based upon their own perfect lives, right? Um - no! Please, please, don’t base your protagonist on your own life (unless, of course, you’re writing a memoir). Write down a list of your protagonist’s traits. Even get a picture or photo of them if possible. That way, you’ll know he is 5’ 6” tall, has green eyes, is slightly balding, loves tennis, and has a really nasty temper when challenged. These things are important. As your story develops, it’s important your protagonist develops and stays true to their characteristics.

One of the biggest criticisms leveled against many first-time authors is their lack of characterization. Their characters are flat and under-developed. Mapping out your protagonist in advance helps ensure you don’t fall into that same trap. In the early chapters of the book, lay out your character’s weaknesses and then, as the book progresses, have your character overcome adversity and mature. By the end of the book, your audience will have traveled that journey with your character and love them for it.

Phew, a lot of heavy stuff there. It’s not so simple as you’d think, developing a main character. Anyway, before we end this topic, I want to write a little about other scenarios.

Let’s say, for argument’s sake, your protagonist is a bad guy - you’re writing the book from the nasty man’s perspective. Do you do anything different? That depends on how the book ends up. If the protagonist gets his due, then the weakness you pointed out in chapter one will be his undoing.

Some people also like to kill off some of their protagonists (George R.R. Martin). In that case, you’d better have another one or two waiting in the wings to take over. Readers enjoy the shock of death (or might even curse you), but they still need someone else to root for.

And finally, all good protagonists need antagonists to balance them out (seriously, another complicated word?). And we’ll cover them in the next article. But until then, have a think about how your protagonists stack up. Are they well thought out, with some human quality weakness? Or, don’t you really give a damn? After all, you’re the writer and you know best. And your day job still pays all the bills.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Oh yeah, my latest book launched! Ryann's Brother hit the bookshelves. It's a book I'm really proud of and I'm sure it'll be well-received. Read the Press Release HERE and pick up a copy of the book HERE.

Other things I've been doing include editing my next book, Xannu - The Mayhem. I've just completed the first edits, and the book wings its way to my beta readers tomorrow, starting the process toward its December release.

Finally, I've managed to put together 165 plot points (so far) for the next novel I'll be writing, Ryann's Bane. This book is the next in the series after Ryann's Brother. I start writing this book tomorrow. Wow, it's been busy as usual.

So, there you have it. Another week, another dollar. It's never dull in the Dorset household.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Successful Fantasy Novella Spawns Three-Book Series

After successfully publishing the chart-topping fantasy novella, Ryann, author Paul Dorset answers his fans by releasing the first in a new three-book series which follows on right where the novella left off - Introducing, Ryann's Brother.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ryann's Brother

PRLog (Press Release) - Oct. 22, 2013 - MOUNT VERNON, Wash. -- After successfully publishing the chart-topping fantasy novella, Ryann, author Paul Dorset answers his fans by releasing the first in a new three-book series which follows on right where the novella left off. Ryann's Brother is a full-length Fantasy novel, aimed at young and older adults alike.

"The demand was there," Paul said. "Apparently, the short story wasn't enough to satisfy my readers, and so I devised a complete three-book series."

The first book of the series is entitled Ryann's Brother, and the premise is as follows:

"Ryann gained her freedom from slavery by winning a wager with the son of her owning lord. Now she is setting out to find her long lost brother who is rumored to live in the country of her birth. But Bramwel Cala, the ruthless and barbaric son of her ex-lord and master, wants his revenge.

"A deathly plague is also devastating the land, and there are many people who would as soon have Ryann killed as help her on her quest. In a land of lords and tax-collectors, potion-makers and sclavas, will the young and innocent Ryann survive to fulfill the destiny she was born to?"

The book is available on Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99 as an ebook, and also as a paperback for $9.99.

About Paul Dorset: Paul Dorset was born in Poole, Dorset in England, but has been living in America since 1995. He has been writing for many years, with some of his early works published in 'teen advice' columns. He has had many technical articles published, mostly in the field of Computing.

Paul currently lives in the Pacific Northwest, but has traveled extensively and worked many times with teens and youth groups. It is this background, combined with a vivid imagination, that has enabled him to weave a tapestry of magic into complete novels. His first epic fantasy series, aimed at young adults, is entitled 'The Southern Lands'. However, the storyline is more than exciting enough to keep adults turning pages as the story unfolds.

Paul is a father of five who has worked as a computer consultant for more than 30 years. His publications include fantasy novels for ages 12-plus, how-to books for adults, and dark paranormal thrillers for ages 16+. He incorporates his extensive experience in computers - and his insightful perspective on the possibilities therein - in novels that include layers of contemporary intrigue, romance and mystery. You can follow his blog at http://blog.pauldorset.com

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Another week goes by, and it's been another busy one. I've spent most of the week copying author interviews into Scrivener, ready to get my latest ebook, Interviews With 100 Indie Authors, up and running. It's due to launch in January 2014, and there's a lot more work to do before it's ready. I've also been creating plot points for Ryann's Bane, the next book in the series which I'm due to start writing in ten days.

This coming week sees the launch of Ryann's Brother, for which I'm really excited, and it's time to make first edits on my latest manuscript Xannu - The Mayhem.

It never ends. Anyway, thanks for stopping by. I'll write further updates soon.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

During the last 18 months, I have interviewed a total of 100 Indie Authors. For those of you who missed one or two, or are just interested in reading a little about a new Indie Author, take a look at the list.

And on a separate note, these interviews are currently being consolidated into an ebook that will be released in January 2014. It's going to be a treasure chest of information for aspiring authors, so look for more information over the coming weeks.